Tamarac Seeks Grant For Police

COMMUNITY NEWS

December 14, 1994|SALLIE JAMES Staff Writer

TAMARAC — City commissioners want to put more police officers on the street and are looking to the federal gpovernment to pay the tab.

Commissioners tonight will ask city employees to apply for federal grant money from the COPS FAST Fund, which provides money for community-oriented policing for cities with populations of less than 50,000. Community policing emphasizes crime prevention and establishing close links between police and the community.

The city will apply for $225,000 in financial assistance to hire three additional deputies to expand the city's existing community policing program.

If approved, the city would get $225,000 over three years and be required to match that money with $475,533, said Assistant City Manager Dina McDermott.

Money from the grant would also be used to start a Tamarac Community Storefront Office to help establish a citywide crime prevention program.

The goal of the program is to provide business crime prevention programs, residential community intervention and to help meet the needs of youth as identified in the 1993 Youth Gang Investigation by the Broward County Grand Jury report.

Earlier this year, Sunrise police applied for federal funds for additional officers under a similar program but were turned down. The U.S, Department of Justice awarded grants to fewer than one in 10 police departments that applied for money.

Among the Broward agencies that received money for 1994 were the Broward Sheriff's Office, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill and Miramar.

Capt, Michael Goldstein, in charge of the district that includes Tamarac, said the grant money would help deputies tailor their services to the community.

Money from the grant would enable the Sheriff's Office to have one deputy focus on Crime Watch programs, assign another to work with businesses and third to work with young people, Goldstein said.

"I think we have a good shot. As good as anyone else," Goldstein said.